Civil Rights

No Hoosier should be subject to discrimination because of who they are. Both individuals and the state economy are still struggling to overcome the negative impact of RFRA, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. I support amending Indiana’s civil rights code to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I also support passage of a hate crimes law. These laws can increase sentences when criminal liability is established and the motive is shown to be group hatred. Under current proposals, our judges would be clearly directed to consider the role of bias, if any, when sentencing someone a jury has found guilty. Indiana is one of only five states without a hate crimes law. We need to join the other forty-five states.